A stricken Denmark prepare to resume Euro 2020 action on Thursday evening in Group B as they welcome Belgium to the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.

Kasper Hjulmand's men opened their campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Finland - which was overshadowed by the harrowing events involving Christian Eriksen - while Belgium eased to a 3-0 win over Russia.

Match preview

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Joel Pohjanpalo's winner may have settled the contest in Finland's favour, but the Huuhkajat's celebrations were muted following the distressing scenes during the opening 45 minutes in Copenhagen, as Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest while teammates, relatives, friends and fans looked on in horror.

The Inter Milan playmaker was "gone" according to team doctor Morten Boesen, but the swift actions of his fellow players, medics and referee Anthony Taylor saved his life, and Eriksen has since issued a relief-inducing update from his hospital bed as he awaits further examinations.

UEFA affirmed that both sets of players elected to continue that same evening - a testament to the professionalism and mental grit of these athletes - and Pohjanpalo would find a way past Kasper Schmeichel before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg failed to beat Lukas Hradecky from 12 yards.

Hjulmand's men are therefore fighting an uphill battle to claim one of the top two spots in Group B, and one can barely begin to imagine what sort of headspace they must be in before they step foot onto the Parken Stadium turf again - versus the world's number-one ranked nation, no less.

The Danes' impassioned fanbase will certainly not expect Hjulmand's XI to be firing on all cylinders as they attempt to process the events of the past few days, and while Belgium will pay Denmark the utmost respect that they deserve, sentimentality will go out of the window for 90 minutes on Thursday.

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Star striker Romelu Lukaku paid a fitting tribute to his Nerazzurri teammate Eriksen after taking just 10 minutes to break the deadlock against Russia during their opening fixture, and the forward would go on to steal the show with a brace in a resounding 3-0 success.

Lukaku struck either side of Thomas Meunier's tap-in at the Gazprom Arena as Roberto Martinez's men started as they intend to go on, and the Red Devils have quickly risen to the summit in Group B after one game, and they are certainly expected to maintain that standing over the next week.

Martinez has now overseen a 10-game unbeaten run at the helm, and the opening-day victory over Russia represented his seventh Euros victory with Belgium; success over Denmark would see him steer level with all-time national record holder Guy Thys on eight wins in the competition.

A routine path to the knockout stages is no less than the Belgium faithful desire from their ever-hopeful squad, but with the likes of Lukaku, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen all sharing close relationships with Eriksen, a football match will be the last thing on some of their minds this week.

Belgium marched to back-to-back victories over Denmark last year during their Nations League campaign, and the two countries are locking horns at a major tournament for the first time since Euro 1984, where Denmark recovered from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.

Team News

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Hjulmand will take a welfare check on his players before they prepare to go again in Copenhagen, but the Danish manager is reported to have a had a full contingent of players available in training this week, barring the recovering Eriksen.

The 29-year-old's spot in midfield will most likely be filled by Brentford's Mathias Jensen, but Hjulmand has options for change up top in the forms of Andreas Cornelius and Kasper Dolberg.

Schmeichel and Simon Kjaer were rightly lauded for their crucial actions and consolation of Eriksen's partner against Finland, but the latter - a good family friend of the Inter Milan playmaker - will need to be assessed after coming off just after the hour mark at the weekend.

Belgium talisman Kevin De Bruyne is recovering well from facial fractures and could make his return to the squad, but Timothy Castagne's Euros campaign is over after a nasty clash of heads with Daler Kuzyaev left him with almost identical injuries.

Veteran defender Vertonghen may not be risked for this meeting after taking a knock to the ankle, but Martinez has confirmed that Axel Witsel has battled his way back from an Achilles problem to make himself available.

Eden Hazard enjoyed a 20-minute cameo from the bench against Russia and could come into Martinez's thinking for a start, while Jason Denayer could find himself on the bench once again as Dedryck Boyata enjoys another run-out.

Denmark possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Wass, Kjaer, Christensen, Maehle; Delaney, Hojbjerg, Jensen; Poulsen, Dolberg, Braithwaite

Belgium possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Alderweireld, Boyata, Vermaelen; Meunier, Tielemans, Dendoncker, T.Hazard; Mertens, Lukaku, Carrasco

We say: Denmark 0-2 Belgium

Denmark fans will undoubtedly feel proud of their players no matter what the scoreline in the top left-hand corner reads on Thursday, and Hjulmand will do his best to rally his affected troops before such a daunting fixture.

Football will unite as one when Belgium pay a visit to Copenhagen, but Martinez's men must simply focus on the task at hand when the referee's whistle blows, and we do not expect Denmark to spring a surprise against the Red Devils.

Written by
Ben Knapton

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